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The Shadows
This article was written by Hedwig Gudmunsdottir as part of the Xeno Shadowbane Scholarship. -A The cold ones. The shadow and his minions. Yes. He eats. Big fatty he is. Eats everything? Yes, he even eats light. Till nothing left? Well, no one knows, he may keep eating nothing when nothing is all that is left. '' -- Anonymous source''. Nature of the shadows The Great Shadow and its minions represent the nothingness that existed before Ganev and Frya created the worlds, and to which the universe may eventually return. Like the gods , it is anthropomorphic and abides by some rules and treaties. The Great Shadow itself was first encountered in a meeting of gods in Dis , the one place that will endure after the rest of the universe collapses. Adventurers have taken to calling its home plane the void. It is monochromatic and cold enough to instantly kill any adventurer, although shadow cultists can survive there. In the void is a citadel, where the Great Shadow lives with hundreds of dread lords and innumerable shadow creatures. There seems to be something that bars dread lords and shadow creatures from entering other planes at will, although we don’t know what. In the past, planes that have fallen to the shadows have become wastelands of darkness and ice. The Great Shadow The Great Shadow is a massive humanoid, many stories high, made of darkness. It has glowing blue eyes and sharp talons. It is sentient and clever, but capable of being tricked and lied to (at least by gods). It is tangible in the void, and has not been encountered by adventurers outside it. Dread lords Dread lords look like smaller versions of The Great Shadow - but they are still several stories high. They have immense magical power over the elements of ice and darkness, and can control their corporeality outside the shadow-plane. This makes them immune to mundane physical damage. They emanate an aura of immense cold that severely damages anything living nearby. Five dread lords inhabited Mithrasia. One was banished back to the void , but at least two (probably three) have been released from their prisons. Dread lords are corporeal in the void, and if killed there die permanently, but on other planes they will simply re-incorporate themselves unless captured or disrupted somehow (for example, using a soul crystal). Shadow cultists Shadow cultists are humans who have joined the cause of the shadow, marked by their moving black tattoos and dark robes. They appear immune to cold, including dread lord auras, and are even able to survive in the void. Many shadow cultists use dark and ice magic, and when working together can quickly summon dread lords from nearby. They often use rituals, for example, a large scale voluntary human sacrifice in order to summon something through a 30-man high ice gate. When killed, small shadows emerge from them. Cultists have sometimes been able to hide their tattoos, especially when the shadow creatures are not fully in control of them. Shadow cultists probably arrived in Whitmouth from the empire, landing in the same place the settlers then used. Some of these settlers were possessed by the shadow tattoos, which can jump into a person and then whisper suggestions in the back of their mind. These can be exorcised, although as time has gone by they appear to have learned subtlety. At one point a group of fake shadow cultists were spotted - having similar robes but tattoos which were immobile. Shadow creatures Solid creatures of shadow have been seen in Mithrasia and the void. They move and fight like their real counterparts, but are mindlessly loyal to the shadow. Shadow cultists can create these creatures from their real counterparts using a ritual, which appears to be reversible. Giant bats, horses, wolves, wyrms, and dragons are among the forms shadows have taken. Small shadows Tiny, amorphous shadows are often found around any other shadow presence. They flee out of the bodies of dead shadow cultists and are instinctively drawn to heat. If a heat source and a small shadow meet, they will negate each other. Many small shadows were seen to evaporate from the surface of a magma lake. Shadow constructs Solid objects have been made from shadows - for example, towers in the void, a magical arm made for Gorm by a dread lord, and in a vision of the future, humanoid mages. In the case of Gorm’s arm , it appeared non-alive, but when removed began to transform into a shadow creature. Dread lords in Mithrasia There are five dread-lord thrones in Mithrasia, in a great citadel of ice in the south. The corresponding dread lords were originally summoned by the serpent-men, but then locked away with the help of the elven mage Calwyn, as observed by some explorers who travelled to the past . To do this, he used their true names to push them into prisons on this plane, or back into the void - it is unclear which. As the shadows have pushed into Mithrasia, dread lords have escaped (see History, below). The first was released by Mowakana, under the influence of shadows. It was banished to the void by Ash-heart, who found its true name in the great library of Dis (now destroyed). The serpent-men, minotaurs, and Calywn each know the name of one other dread lord. The dread lord that Calwyn knows the name of is said to be locked away, the other three are probably free. From their citadel in the south of Mithrasia, ice has been spreading rapidly. Spurred by the unnatural winter and a vision of the future , adventurers have made treaties with the dragons and serpent men and are planning a massive assault on the shadow citadel to end the shadow threat once and for all (see below). Chronological history of shadows in Mithrasia Early history Thousands of years ago, when serpent men ruled the earth, they summoned the great cold . It turned on them, and they fought it until it was locked away. The elven mage Calwyn was involved in banishing the shadows, using their true names - either this first time, or perhaps they were released later. This was observed by adventurers who went back in time . Calwyn is now a lich. Year 351 The shadow faction was first encountered by Whitmouth adventurers on isle de la luna. They fought shadow cultists and the small shadows that emerged from them. Year 352 The first shadow-lord is released by Mowakana. Several adventurers swear allegiance to the shadow faction. Rumor says there is a mysterious anti-shadow group which may or may not have been formed around this time. Year 353 Ash-heart makes a trip to the great library of Dis (now destroyed). Returning with a dread lords true name, he banishes one into the void . Another dread lord is found to be free. By this point adventurers who swore allegiance to the shadows have been killed or forced to renounce them, these ones bearing the word TRAITOR on their foreheads. The dread lords try recruiting other sentient species . Year 354 A shadow lord uses its power over one of the TRAITOR-tattoed adventurers, Gorm, to compel him or persuade him to open another portal . Adventurers on Isle de la Luna, where time runs oddly, see a vision of a desolate future after they were too slow to react and too busy making war with the dragons. Going back in time , they then observed a dread lord being imprisoned under the island. The Shadow held the timepiece of inevitability hostage in its domain, which prompted adventurers to enter the void . Much about the nature of shadows was discovered on this journey (see above). Year 355 The shadows tried to treaty with both the dragons and the serpent-men , but were interrupted by adventurers (354:4 -- Speaking with snakes and 355:1 -- Seeking the dragon treaty). The pirates, another tool of the shadows, were disrupted by another group. A scouting mission to the citadel revealed preparations for a massive summoning ritual, which was disrupted. Preparations began for a massive assault on the shadow citadel, with sources suggesting three dread lords were currently free. (see below) Geographical locations of interest This section of the article has been blacked out. However, if you convince Aelfar and Hedwig that your intentions are good and you are free of shadow taint, they will show you the following list: *Across the lake from Mt. Magpie (20,31): a dread lord prison. *Isle de la Luna, under the volcano (08,06): a dread lord prison. *At the bottom of the Formian hive (05,19), along a passageway for a few days journey: another dread lord prison. This dread lord was released by Gorm. *Somewhere "way down south", possibly the volcano at (42,48): a dread lord prison. Mowakana released this one. *The shadow citadel (41,41), where five great ice thrones wait for their lords. One dread lord was banished here, another one was found released at this location. Slightly further south lies a large camp of shadow cultists. Lumos Rumours abound about some secret organisation that was started in response to adventurers swearing allegiance to the shadows. It is said to have been responsible for many exorcisms and several duels with those less willing to give up loyalty to the shadows. Who knows if they actually exist. Shadow Assault Fifteen or so Whitmouth heroes, the serpent-man armies, the dragons, and any other allies they can muster will soon attack the shadow citadel in a daring, maybe desperate assault. In preparation, they have gathered one of the true names of the dread lords, and created several massive arcane crystals to trap the shadow lords in when they are defeated. Much planning has happened here at the library. Last minute preparations have had the town buzzing. Some adventurers have started writing wills . Information needed for these notes *Locations of two more shadow prisons *Information about which locations correspond to which shadow lords *Spelling of Calwyn Acknowledgements Thank-you to Aelfar, Mowakana, Wednesday, Ash-hammer, and Sura for your information. Apologies to anyone I forgot. Your help is most appreciated. -- Hedwig Category:Shadows Category:Reference